The Buckwheat Ski Classic is turning a new page with its 26th annual race, planned for March 24th.

Since its founding, the Skagway based cross-country ski event has been organized by Buckwheat Donahue, who announced last year that he would no longer be organizing the event.

For the 2012 race, a group of Skagway and Yukon volunteers and business people, under the banner of the non-profit Log Cabin Ski Society, have stepped up to the plate to help organize the popular international ski event.

The ski society, also based out of Skagway, help maintain the trails in Log Cabin B.C. and will be hosting the event annually from now on.

"We've all been involved with this for years,” said Jeff Brady, secretary of the ski society. "Most of us have been involved in organizing this for a while. We're taking it over this year and hosting our big banquet, awards and dance at the Skagway Rec. Center, a bigger venue, which will be good for us.”

Apart from the new management, the Buckwheat Ski Classic will remain very much as it has been for the last quarter century.

The race will still be held at the Log Cabin trails on the B.C. side of the South

Klondike Highway.

The event will still include the 50 km, 25 km, 10 km and children's 5 km events, with pre- and post-race events being held in Skagway.

"It's an event designed for the lazy, the infirmed and the few who are fast,” said Donahue. "Basically we like to party and we like to party on skis.”

He began the race 26 years ago with the simple ambition of bringing more

excitement to his hometown.

"We used to say it was this, ‘hands across the border kind of thing,'to get to know our neighbours to the North,” said Donahue. "But the real reason was to bring better looking women down to Skagway during the winter time.”

Over the years, Canadians have provided much more than just an aesthetic addition to the event.

Canadians make up about 200 of the 300 annual racers.

"We used to do just the 50 km event, but the Canadians kept beating us, so we introduced the 25 km event and didn't tell anyone from Whitehorse,” said Donahue.

"Then about three to four years into the 25 km event, we introduced the 10 km event and didn't tell anyone about it either. It's really the only way we can win. Canadians kick ass.”

Canadians, particularly Yukoners, have dominated the event since the beginning. In the whole

history of the event, only one American woman has ever placed in the top three in the women's 50 km category.

"One woman from Anchorage finished third in one of our first races,”said Donahue.

"The only reason she was there was because she had gotten weathered in, and it turned out she was a really good skier.”

Donahue will still be involved in this year's race, as interim president of the Log Cabin Ski society.

Though still involved with planning and organizing, he'll be taking a more background role in the years to come.

He's confident that the new management is up to the task of continuing on the event which bears his name.

"This year, the event is being held in a bigger venue, more space, more parking, we have the city of Skagway on board, and it will have a video screen, showing pictures and video from the trail,” he said. "I think it's going to go really well.”

The winners of the men and women's 50 km races are awarded $500 U.S., while the second and third place finishers are given prizes of $200 and $100 respectively.

"This year, we're hoping that people don't feel ripped off that they are not being paid in Canadian dollars,” said Donahue.

The Log Cabin Ski Society is accepting members from both sides of the border, for an annual membership fee of $10.00. This year's racers are encouraged to sign up for the Buckwheat Ski Classic online, or download the application form from the society's website.